Wireless devices have become ubiquitous in our daily lives. For example, it is hard for an average person to spend a day without using a cellphone. The proliferation of such wireless devices places a continuously increasing demand for bandwidth and services. The increase in bandwidth is typically obtained by using higher and higher frequencies such as evidenced by the evolution of the third-generation (3G) wireless industry standard into the fourth-generation (4G) wireless industry standard and the fifth-generation (5G) wireless industry standard. The increase in frequency bandwidths is typically accompanied by changes in hardware, particularly in terms of a reduction in size of the wireless device.
The reduction in size is achieved at least in part, by eliminating radio frequency (RF) connectors in the wireless device. However, eliminating RF connectors in the wireless device presents a challenge when the wireless device has to be tested either during manufacture or later on during use. One traditional solution for testing a wireless device involves placing the wireless device in a multi-probe anechoic chamber (MPAC) and conducting over-the-air tests of the wireless device inside the MPAC. Typical MPAC chambers are expensive and large in size. For example, an MPAC used to test a Long Term Evolution (LTE) base station or a wireless user equipment (UE) may require over 100 square meters of floor space and can be very expensive. It is therefore desirable to provide smaller and more cost-effective test systems that can be used for testing wireless devices.